Beach Eats: Food Trucks Roll Out to Marina del Rey this Summer

As anybody who's lived here for any length of time is painfully aware, proximity to the fine cuisine of Los Angeles and proximity to L.A.'s beaches are inversely proportional. This, at least, for those of us who do not count Gladstone's as an example of fine L.A. cooking. You can find some serviceable burgers, arguably, and there are a very few food palaces. Piccolo in Venice and, well, I can't think of anything else offhand. Maybe the Nobu going up next to the Malibu pier will save us all. But more than likely, you're better off packing a picnic or scanning the sands for a fruit vendor. Why they don't let food trucks park in beach parking lots is maybe a question for Tom LaBonge.

Soon, however, you will be able to find food trucks parked closer to the beach. Starting July 26, Marina del Rey will be gathering food trucks to Admiralty Way for what is billed, helpfully, as "Beach Eats," a Thursday evening convoy to be held weekly throughout the remainder of the summer.

The first such gathering, running from 5 - 9 p.m., will include Nom Nom, Border Grill, Baby's Badass Burgers, Cousins Maine Lobster, India Jones and Sprinkles Cupcakes' Sprinklesmobile. The trucks in attendance will vary from week to week. Marina Beach will also have tables available, paid street parking (good luck with that) and -- a harder find than the trucks themselves -- some public transportation.

You'll be able to take the WaterBus from six Marina locations directly to and from Marina Beach ($1 each way) from 5 p.m. to midnight on July 26, August 9, and August 2. And there will be a free beach shuttle operating from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. For more information, check out the Department of Beaches and Harbors Facebook page and the press release.